


after all this time (i'm still growing up)

by antijosh



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: M/M, Single Parents, Slow Burn, kid jisung, single dad jae, teacher younghyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-28 13:51:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17788598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antijosh/pseuds/antijosh
Summary: younghyun is a kindergarten teacher who may be a little too fond of the father of one of his students--cue a bumbling crush, babysitting, and two people trying to figure out how to fall in love.





	1. here comes the sun

**Author's Note:**

> originally was gonna post this as a oneshot but i wanted to post smthn for valentines day so heres the first part!! this fic is entirely self indulgent and un-beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine~ part two should hopefully be up within a week <3 happy valentines day everybody!!!
> 
> update 2/20: has now been beta'd by the loml rosa!!! forever grateful for you, dear <3

The start of a new school year is Younghyun’s favorite thing. The clean classroom, newly decorated with bright posters and shiny art materials just taken out of their packages, and the bookshelf full of books yet to be read, about mice who ride motorcycles and eclectic men who collect penguins. Wonpil, Younghyun’s co-teacher, is preparing the last of the lesson materials for the week as Younghyun leans against the wall of cubbies, waiting for all of their brand new kindergartners to arrive. 

They’ve got a class of only fifteen this year, and they begin to trickle in starting with the earliest at 8:30. The first day, or the first week rather, is the toughest, but for the most part the kids seem to be more excited than scared. Wonpil does most of the work of greeting parents and getting kids signed in, while Younghyun gets the fun job of actually hanging out with the kids. The boldest of the girls, Momo, approaches him with “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie,” and as soon as he starts reading a small crowd of kindergarteners begins to form. 

It can be hard for the new kids to warm up to their teachers, but Younghyun is pleased to see that this group seems generally ready to engage and have fun. They get through two more books before Wonpil calls a meeting, all of the kids scurrying to their spots on the center rug. 

There’s one child struggling to find his place, so Younghyun kneels down next to him, lightly tapping his arm.

“What’s your name?” he whispers, and the boy turns, looking like he’s about to get upset from not being able to find his name on the rug. 

“Jisung,” he says in a small voice, feet shifting anxiously. “Han.”

“Here,” Younghyun says, easily finding the name on the rug, right next to a small girl named Somi. He gives Jisung a gentle nudge, and Jisung’s face splits into a smile as he bounds quickly to his spot, plopping down with legs crossed and hands folded in his lap. Younghyun settles into a chair behind the rug, content to watch from the back as Wonpil leads the kids in introducing themselves. 

+

The whole first week goes smoother than anticipated, leading Younghyun to believe he was correct in his assumptions about this group of kids. Still, he needs his coffee before starting the day with them, which is how he runs into Sungjin in the kitchen first thing in the morning. No words are exchanged in greeting, only silent nods, but they both know that it’s better that way, at least until they’re caffeinated.

Sungjin is the one who finishes his cup, and subsequently speaks, first. 

“Is Jisung Han in your class?” he asks, reaching across the counter to drain the last of the coffee pot into his mug. Younghyun nods wordlessly, and Sungjin hums. “He’s been at late pickup every day this week. Always the last one here, too. On Wednesday his dad didn’t come till almost 5:45.”

Younghyun frowns, racking his brain to see if he remembers meeting either of Jisung’s parents. He turns up empty. He tells Sungjin as much, who just shrugs.

“Never seen the mom, but his dad seems like kind of a mess if you ask me.”

“Maybe he’ll come to back-to-school night,” Younghyun says absentmindedly, draining the last of his coffee before he has to go to the classroom.

“Maybe.” Sungjin shrugs again. “Good luck with the kids today.”

“You too,” Younghyun replies, already putting their conversation in the back of his brain to make room for remembering all the things he has to get done today.

It’s not until the next Monday, when Younghyun is on late pickup duty, that he remembers it. 

He’s sitting in the school’s atrium with the few kids that are still left at 5:15, watching them as they play with trucks or read books. Still here from his class are Jisung and Somi, and then Yugyeom from Jinyoung and Jaebum’s class and Yerim from Sungjin’s class. Yugyeom and Yerim are playing with two twin fire trucks together, while Somi sits in a child sized chair while she reads a book about a little red fort. Jisung is the closest to Younghyun, sitting just a few feet away from him as he drives a dump truck back and forth across the floor, loading it with blocks and then dumping them by Younghyun’s feet. While Yerim looks anxiously at the door every few minutes, even occasionally asking Younghyun when her mom will be here, Jisung seems entirely unconcerned by the fact that he’s still at school as the clock ticks closer and closer to 5:30. 

Eventually it’s just the two of them left, Jisung having climbed into Younghyun’s lap to ask if he can be read a story. Its Jisung’s current favorite about a little girl who can’t stop asking questions, and he points to every word included in the artwork to ask what they all mean. Younghyun bounces his leg to emphasize all the questions, which makes Jisung giggle. 

Finally the door opens, a gust of wind sending leaves skittering across the floor as a man comes in, absolutely buried in a black parka. The first thing Younghyun notices is that he’s incredibly tall, pretty much the only discernible physical feature with the parka hanging past his knees and windswept hair covering his face.

Jisung knows exactly who it is. “Daddy!” he calls out, wriggling off Younghyun’s lap and sprinting across the room to launch his body at his father. His dad reacts quicker than Younghyun would have, crouching down and absorbing the impact with open arms. 

“Hey,” a low voice says in English, and Jisung hugs him harder. “How was your day, little man?”

“Good,” Jisung hums, burying his face in the collar of his dad’s jacket. Younghyun stands, sign out sheet held awkwardly in one hand as he waits for a good time. Luckily Jisung’s dad seems to know the drill, because he stands, easily lifting Jisung in his arms to prop him up on his hip. Younghyun supposes it must come in handy that Jisung is small for a kindergartener. He supports Jisung with one arm as he signs out with the other, looking up at Younghyun with a gracious smile when he’s done. 

That’s when Younghyun finally gets a good look at his face, and he’s sort of stunned. Sungjin didn’t mention that Jisung’s chronically late dad was also extremely handsome. His cheeks are full though his bone structure is fine, and tinged pink from the wind outside. His eyes are small and half moon shaped, and they seem to sparkle when he smiles like something out of a Disney movie. Younghyun swore he would never crush on a parent but Jisung’s dad makes that fly right out the window.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he blurts, and when Jisung’s dad cocks his head, Younghyun corrects himself. “I mean, I don’t think we’ve been introduced before. I’m Mr. Kang, one of Jisung’s teachers.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jisung’s dad nods, a sort of half bow with Jisung still clinging to his neck. “I’m Jae Park, but you can just call me Jae.” Then, as if it’s occurring to him just now, he adds, “Sorry for the late pickups. It’s hard to get here on time from my job and there’s no one else to pick him up. I hope it’s not too burdensome.”

“Not at all,” Younghyun says, hoping he doesn’t sound as dreamy as he feels looking at Mr. Park’s—Jae’s—sheepish face. 

“Well I’m gonna get this guy home,” Jae says, hoisting Jisung a little higher on his hip.

“Bye Mr. Kang!” Jisung chirps with a happy wave, and Jae follows in the steps of his son.

“Have a good night,” he says, before picking up Jisung’s bag with his free hand and heading out. Younghyun can hear Jisung chattering happily about the day’s activities to his dad, who nods and hums along as they make their way out. 

Younghyun lingers a little, rearranging the books on the shelves and wiping down the counters one last time before he gathers his stuff to go home. Still, even as he drives, he can’t shake the thought of Jisung and his dad, and how cute they are together.

+

After that, Younghyun tries to pay closer attention. He positions himself near Jisung at lunch, hoping that the kids will talk about their weekends at home over their carrot sticks and kimbap. He gets one better: a purple sticky note, stuck onto the silver metal of Jisung’s lunch box.   
“Mr. Kang,” Jisung says, tiny fist thrusting the note as close to Younghyun’s face as he can get it. “Can you read this to me?”

Younghyun accepts it, smoothing it out between his fingers before he can even attempt to read it. The handwriting is awful—chicken scratch in lines of thin black ink that takes Younghyun a few moments to decipher. Finally, he understands, and clears his throat so he can read it aloud. 

“Jisung-ah, I’m so proud of you! I hope you have a good day,” Younghyun reads, trying to align the sweet message and the awful handwriting with his mental image of Jae, even though they’d met only briefly. 

“Did your dad write this?” Younghyun asks, and Jisung nods as he shoves a fistful of turkey sandwich into his mouth. 

“Daddy writes me notes every day,” he says proudly, mouth still full. 

It’s then Younghyun realizes that Jisung has never mentioned his mom—not even once.

+

Working with kids has its hazards, and the greatest of all of them is the ever present threat of illness. Younghyun swears he has an especially weak immune system, because even with all his shots he still gets sick more than any of the other teachers. 

One day Tzuyu coughs in his face as he’s trying to help her clean up, and by that Thursday Younghyun is down for the count, sniffling pathetically as he wanders around his apartment wrapped in a blanket. Usually he tries to just tough it out, but this cold is a vicious one that isn’t responding to his usual medication. Wonpil assured him over the phone that it’s fine to take a day off and that he has it covered, so Younghyun reluctantly stayed home. 

It’s a good day to just laze around, alternating naps with old episodes of his guilty pleasure shows, but even one day is enough to make Younghyun miss the kids, and eventually he finds himself sprawled out on the couch and wishing he was back in the classroom. 

The next morning, armed with travel tissues and copious amounts of cold medicine, Younghyun braves the commute to work, and finds it not as unbearable as he thought. Maybe it’s the medicine or his sheer will to see his students, but he really does feel much better. 

Being back in the classroom feels like coming home, and a few of his students even come up to hug his legs and tell him they missed him. It doesn’t take Younghyun long though to realize that someone is missing.

“Jisung is absent today?” he asks Wonpil, careful to keep his voice low so as to not distract the students working on art projects all around him. 

Wonpil nods, replying in a hushed whisper. “Got into a physical altercation with another student yesterday on the playground. Dad didn’t call, but my guess is he kept him home because of that.”

“Jisung got physical?” Younghyun asks, almost forgetting to stay quiet. Jisung has never had an issue before, and always runs to a teacher if he has problems with another student. They’ve been working on getting him to work out some things for himself, but Younghyun can’t even imagine Jisung resorting to using his hands instead of just finding an adult. 

Wonpil nods again. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

Younghyun holds him to it at the end of the day, when the teachers on pick up duty are waiting with the few remaining kids as Wonpil and Younghyun prepare the materials for tomorrow.

“So what happened with Jisung yesterday?” he prompts, and Wonpil sighs, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“I wasn’t there the whole time, but what I gathered was that this other kid started talking about his mom, and Jisung asked what’s so great about having a mom. The other kid started teasing him for not having a mom and saying he must not have all of these things because of it, and Jisung got frustrated and pushed him. He apologized afterwards and cried for a good five minutes before I could get the story out of him.”

“Oh wow,” is all Younghyun can think to say, leaning up against the bookcase to process all that information. 

“Yeah,” Wonpil sighs in agreement. “It’s a shame he stayed home today, though. I figure dad’s pretty pissed about it if he didn’t even call.”

“Let’s not assume the worst,” Younghyun chides, though he feels deep down in his gut that Wonpil is probably right. He still doesn’t have much of an impression of the man, other than his handsome face and soothing voice, but Wonpil’s theory seems pretty plausible. Still, Younghyun wants to talk to Jae. “We’ll see what happens Monday, if Jisung is here.”

“You mean you’ll see,” Wonpil snorts. “Next week is your week for pick up duty, don’t tell me you forgot.” 

“I absolutely did not forget,” Younghyun lies, making Wonpil laugh.

“Well,” he replies, grabbing his water bottle off the shelf, “you’re welcome for the reminder. We still on for lunch on Sunday?”

“Yes, that I did not forget,” Younghyun says, extending his pinky as a form of a promise.

“Liar,” Wonpil teases, heading for the door. “Try not to die because you forget to eat for the 48 hours in which we don’t see each other.”

“I’ll do my very best,” Younghyun replies, giving Wonpil a wave as his friend heads out. Younghyun starts to pack his own stuff up, but for some reason he can’t stop thinking about the whole Jisung debacle, and he knows it’ll probably bug him all weekend. Monday can’t come soon enough. 

+

Jisung is back Monday morning, his usual bright and cheerful self as he bounds into the classroom. “Mr. Kang!” he exclaims, rushing to Younghyun’s legs and nearly smacking himself in the head with Younghyun’s knee as he comes in for a hug. Younghyun sinks to his knees to give the kid a proper hug, and he can feel how jittery and excited Jisung is in his arms. 

“Hey buddy, I missed you,” he says calmly when Jisung releases him, and Jisung grins, showing off the gap where he’s already lost a tooth.

“I missed you too Mr. Kang,” he replies. “But I got to stay home with daddy on Friday and we went to go see my uncle Dowoon!”

“I’m so glad you had fun,” Younghyun practically coos, bracing his hands on his knees as he stands back up, stretching to his full height with a thankful sigh. As much as he loves being eye to eye with the kids, he’s a little too old and a little too tall to be kneeling and squatting as much as he does. 

With that, Jisung runs off to find his friends, also glad to see them after his absence. Younghyun is content to watch their reunion for a moment before he goes back to being an actual teacher. 

+

When the kids have packed up and are headed out to the atrium for late pick up, Younghyun remembers that he has to at least attempt to talk to Jisung’s dad—Jae, he corrects himself—about what happened last week. He mulls the idea over for a moment, trying to figure out the right words to say. He’s not sure it would be right for him to apologize, but Younghyun’s at a loss for any other ideas. 

He still doesn’t have it figured out by the time Jae walks in the door, but by then he’s out of time.

When he sees Jae’s shape walking up to the front, he stops reading the book Jisung wanted to hear, instead leaning forward and whispering Jisung’s name with a mischievous smile. Jisung looks up in confusion, having been very immersed in the story, but the sound of the door opening makes him whip his head around, and then he squeals in delight as he rushes to his father. 

“Good to see you,” Younghyun says, climbing to his feet so he can get Jisung’s backpack for Jae, Jisung very clearly having forgotten about it entirely. 

“You too,” Jae nods. “Jisung missed you last week.”

“I missed him too,” Younghyun replies easily, passing the Doc McStuffins backpack into Jae’s outstretched hand. Then, a bit awkwardly, “Mr. Kim told me about the incident on Thursday.” “Yeah, well, that kid shouldn’t have been harassing him like that—” Jae starts, and Younghyun holds up his hands to stop him. 

“I’m not blaming Jisung. At all,” Younghyun emphasizes, and Jae visibly relaxes. “I just want you to know that if there’s any support we can provide for you, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We love having Jisung here so, you know. We’d be happy to help if we can.” 

“Oh,” Jae says, large hand rubbing continuous circles on Jisung’s back as Jisung clings to his leg. “Thank you.” 

Younghyun nods awkwardly, not sure what to say after that, but Jae has it covered. Hoisting Jisung into his arms, he says, “Being a single parent isn’t always a breeze, even though I’m sure I make it look easy.”

His tone and following smile tells Younghyun that he’s making a joke, despite the fact that this is perhaps the longest conversation they’ve ever had and it’s been going on less than a minute. Younghyun likes that. He smiles back, bright and easy.

“Oh of course,” he replies. “But in all seriousness—really. Anything we can do.”

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Jae nods, hitching Jisung up a little higher on his hip. “I gotta get this guy home, but thank you.”

“Bye Mr. Kang,” Jisung mumbles, clearly tired now that he doesn’t have the anticipation of seeing his dad keeping him awake and moving. 

“Bye,” Jae echoes, and Younghyun waves to both of them.

“See you tomorrow,” he replies, and he waits until they’ve long disappeared into the parking lot before he slings his bag over his shoulder and finally heads home.

+

The rest of that week goes well, at least in Younghyun’s book. He keeps an eye on Jisung, but there seem to be no more issues with other students, and Jisung is getting more outgoing by the day. Younghyun makes sure to mention that to his dad at pick-up time, and Jae always responds with a sweet smile, usually dropping a kiss into his son’s ruffled hair. Younghyun can’t help but notice that he has pretty lips and perfect teeth, but he really tries to blame that on the fact that he hasn’t been on any dates in a while, despite Wonpil’s repeated attempts to set him up. Maybe he just needs to focus his romantic energy elsewhere, so he can stop daydreaming about his student’s parent. 

The problem is that Younghyun really doesn’t  _ want  _ to. Wonpil teases him about how he speaks about Jae, but Younghyun’s been doing a pretty good job of keeping his tentative crush a secret from the other teachers. Or at least, he thought he was. 

He’s in the kitchen the following Monday morning, Sungjin and his assistant teacher, Woosung, across the counter, the three of them splitting the last of the coffee pot. Sungjin downs his coffee black, Younghyun uses half and half, and Woosung uses so much sugar it could probably give a small animal a heart attack. Actually, it might give Woosung a heart attack. 

“You on pick up duty today?” Younghyun asks, and Sungjin grunts into his coffee. 

“Wish I wasn’t,” he says as soon as he’s drained his cup, and that makes Younghyun’s eyebrows raise. Sungjin never complains—that man could be steps away from death’s door and still show up for work. “Oh don’t look at me like that,” he groans, rolling his eyes at Younghyun. “There’s a game I want to watch on tonight and my sister’s coming into town tomorrow which means I won’t be able to watch it until she leaves next week. That’s all.”

“Or I could take it for you,” Younghyun blurts, before he even realizes what he’s saying. Then he collects himself, elaborating upon seeing Sungjin’s bemused expression. “Go home and watch the game, I mean. I’ll take pick up duty today.”

“But you hate pick up duty,” Sungjin deadpans, looking at Younghyun with suspicion. 

Younghyun shrugs, trying to look as innocent as possible. “I don’t mind it that much. Maybe I’m just growing up.”

Woosung squints at him from across the counter. “It’s that dad isn’t it? Jisung Han’s dad.”

“No,” Younghyun denies, voice betraying him as it cracks slightly. Both Sungjin and Woosung give him a look, though Sungjin’s is much more threatening. “Yes,” he admits with a sigh. 

“I knew you weren’t the Virgin Mary, Kang, but your student’s parent? That’s a whole new level of slutty,” Woosung says, and Sungjin appears to almost choke at the sound. 

Younghyun makes an indignant noise. “It’s not slutty,” he hisses. “I don’t even—I just think he’s interesting, okay?”

“Is interesting what the kids are saying these days instead of hot?” Sungjin asks, and Younghyun feels his face flush. 

“I’m not talking about this anymore,” he replies indignantly. “I offer to do a friend a favor and this is how I’m treated?”

“Fine, you can have my shift,” Sungjin cedes, “but I don’t want to owe you anything until you admit you’re doing this because you want to see Jisung’s dad and not just out of the goodness of your heart.”

“My heart is so good,” Younghyun bites back, though it comes out entirely non threatening and just makes Sungjin chuckle.

“Whatever you say, man,” Woosung hums.

“Thanks for covering, have fun with your boyfriend,” Sungjin adds right after, leaving before Younghyun has a chance to say anything. Woosung follows him out with one last pitiful look at Younghyun, giving Younghyun no more opportunity to protest unless he wants to defend himself to the grumbling coffee maker. 

+

Jae’s face when he walks through the door for pick up is one of surprise, which takes Younghyun aback as well. Jisung rushes to pack his things at the first sight of his dad, giving Younghyun a chance to stretch his legs and meet Jae closer to the doors.

“Don’t you guys switch off every week? I swear I saw you last week,” Jae comments, and Younghyun suddenly feels embarrassed, like he’s been found out. 

“I’m covering for Mr. Park, his sister is in town,” he explains, hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets as he hopes his face doesn’t flush and give away his other reason for staying late. 

“Oh that’s nice of you,” Jae says offhand, squatting with his hands on his knees to call to Jisung. “Ready to go, buddy?”

“Almost,” Jisung calls back, still busy stuffing that morning’s artwork into his backpack. 

Jae pushes back to his feet with a sigh. “Thank you guys for staying with him,” he says, offhand. “I know it’s your job and all, but still. He’s always the last kid here, and I know it must feel burdensome sometimes.”

“Never,” Younghyun denies quickly with a shake of his head. “I love—” he stops himself just short of saying that he loves Jisung; though it’s true, he realizes how it might sound to a parent. “Hanging out with Jisung,” Younghyun finishes smoothly, and if Jae notices the falter, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Even so,” Jae says, but he’s smiling now, eyes crinkling softly at the corners. It’s almost like they twinkle—Younghyun really needs to get a handle on himself. 

“I’m ready!” Jisung is near breathless, but he’s got his backpack zipped and on his shoulders, completely ready to go. 

“Alright little man,” Jae smiles down at his son, and Jisung reaches up to take Jae’s hand so they can walk out together. Younghyun should be used to it by now, but seeing one of his students be so adorable still makes his heart feel close to bursting. 

“See you tomorrow,” Younghyun waves, and Jisung turns to wave back. 

“Bye Mr. Kang!” he says, and Jae gives Younghyun one last smile before they’re out the door.


	2. you are my sunshine

Younghyun says he won’t make a habit of covering for the other teachers, but he still does it anyway. In his defense, he’s single and most of his friends either work long hours at office jobs or work at the same school he does, so getting to go home a half hour early in the evenings really wouldn’t make much of a difference to him anyway. For the other teachers who go on dates or have significant others or kids, he gets that those thirty minutes can make a big difference. Really, he’s just trying to be a Good Samaritan here. At least, that’s what he lets himself believe, for his own sake. 

It’s harder to lie to himself when Jae comes for Jisung and Younghyun can feel his heart beat just a bit faster at the sight of the other man coming in the door, or when he notices the soft feeling he gets when he sees the father and son interacting. It’s hard to deny that what he has is a crush, though it still doesn’t feel like the right word for it. He just wants to be close to Jae, is all. But maybe not just in a friends way either. Yeah, Younghyun really isn’t sure about anything any more. 

No matter the specifics of his feelings towards Jae, Younghyun can at least say he enjoys their small interactions at the end of the day. He learns that Jae’s schedule can be somewhat unpredictable, as some days he comes much later than others. Every time, though, he’s apologetic, and quick to scoop Jisung up and whisk him home for dinner. It’s easy for Younghyun to see how much Jae loves his son, and it warms his heart. 

There are days though, when Jae seems particularly frazzled, and today is one of those days. 

The door opens with a bang, and Jae jumps a bit as he walks in, like he startled himself. Jisung jumps up from where he’d been building a block tower, quickly moving to get cleaned up and have his backpack ready. Younghyun stands, like always, ready to hand Jae the sign out sheet. Jae accepts and signs quickly, and as he hands it back, he speaks.

“Hey, uh,” he starts, clearly nervous, and in that moment he reminds Younghyun more of Jisung than he ever has before. “Remember when you said you would do anything you could to help out if we ever needed it?”

“Yeah,” Younghyun answers quickly. “What’s up?”

“I have a work thing tomorrow night that’s gonna go pretty late and my friend Dowoon was supposed to watch Jisung but he’s got a stomach bug and no one else I’ve asked can do it. Do you know of anybody who could watch him?” Jae runs a hand through his hair, glasses slipping a little as he threads his fingers through the strands and pulls them up off his forehead. 

“I could,” Younghyun blurts, before he knows what he’s saying. Jae’s eyes widen in surprise, and Younghyun struggles to correct himself. “I mean I can ask our aides if you’d be more comfortable with that—“

“No, no,” Jae replies easily. “I mean, if you want to, that would be—Jisung would love it. He talks about you all the time, so.”

“Great,” Younghyun says, a bit awkwardly but feeling better about himself after watching Jae struggle too. “Do you want us to just hang out here or?” he trails off.

“If you could bring him to our house, that would be great. I should be home by 8:30 but he goes to bed at 8, I can leave dinner for both of you and write out his routine. He always tries to trick sitters into letting him get away with stuff,” Jae explains quickly, and Younghyun nods along, feeling the flutter of excitement in his chest. 

“Okay, that sounds great,” Younghyun smiles, hoping it will put Jae at ease. “I can give you my cell and you can just text me your address and anything else I should know.”

Jae seems to relax after they exchange numbers, Jisung happily trotting up to his father’s side once he’s done packing up.

“Ok Jisung, instead of Uncle Dowoon watching you tomorrow, Mr. Kang is gonna watch you while daddy’s at work. How does that sound?” Jae asks his son, crouching so he can look Jisung in the eye.

Jisung’s face lights up like he’s just been told he’s going to Disney World. “Really?” he asks, hand reaching for the hem of Younghyun’s sleeve. “Mr. Kang we’re gonna have so much fun!”

“Yes you will but right now we’re gonna let Mr. Kang go home so he can get a good night’s rest before he watches you tomorrow,” Jae says, a graceful redirect as he stands and takes Jisung’s hand. 

Younghyun sends Jae a text before they leave, a simple smiley face so he knows he has the right number, but Jae really does smile when he fishes his phone out of his pocket to read it.

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Kang,” he says, and Jisung echoes the sentiment in his high pitched voice before he bounds off, leaving Jae to chase after him.

+

Younghyun tells Wonpil his good news as soon as he walks in the door the next morning, and all Wonpil does is raise an eyebrow. 

“You’re babysitting?” he asks, obviously dubious. “Don’t you think it’s a little weird?”

Younghyun bristles at the comment. “No,” he answers. “Don’t get me wrong, I love all the kids, but Jisung is just a little special to me. Plus, his dad really needed the help.”

Wonpil shrugs. “Whatever helps you ignore the fact that you have a crush on your student’s father.”

All Younghyun can do is groan, because Wonpil is already walking away. Still, he’s not about to let Wonpil ruin this for him with all this talk of crushes. He and Jisung are going to have a great day—Younghyun is sure of it.

Thankfully, the weather is nice enough for the kids to spend nearly half the day outside in the sunshine, and most of them are tired enough to sleep when nap time rolls around. Younghyun reminds himself of the bed time protocol Jae had texted him this morning as he watches over the sleeping kids from his chair in the corner of the room: brush teeth, story (made up or book, Jisung usually asks for one or the other), lullaby, and then lights out. It sounds simple enough, but Younghyun has been working with kids long enough that he knows he’s bound to hit some sort of snag this evening. He just hopes it won’t be anything major. 

The afternoon flies by faster than Younghyun thought possible, and soon enough it’s time for all the kids to make their way out to the atrium for late pick up. Wonpil had agreed to be the supervising teacher this afternoon, so he playfully nudges Younghyun towards the door. Jisung is already bouncing on his toes with energy, backpack held high on his shoulders as he looks up at Younghyun in excitement.

“Mr. Kang are we gonna ride in your car?” he asks, as they make their way through the parking lot. Younghyun hums, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“We are,” he answers, pointing to where his car sits in the corner spot. “That’s it right there.”

Jisung is generally squirmy, but he settles long enough for Younghyun to buckle him into the car seat once they reach the car. Jae had texted the night before in a panic, asking if Younghyun had a car seat or if he needed Jae’s, and Younghyun was quick to assure him that he had one lying around at home, the product of a well meaning relative whose child had long outgrown it. 

Younghyun puts on his go-to kids playlist, and Jisung sings along to nearly all of the songs as the GPS intermittently gives them directions to the Park-Han household. 

When they arrive, Jisung is quick to take Younghyun by the hand and lead him up to the apartment, pointing out all the important landmarks along the way.

(“That’s my favorite rock, ‘cause it’s the smoothest, and this is the crack that I always have to jump over, and that’s the plant that Mrs. Lee’s dog always pees on.”)

Younghyun lets them in with the key Jae left in Jisung’s backpack, and he can’t stop the slight look of surprise from crossing his face. The apartment is surprisingly minimalist, decorated mostly by Jisung’s artwork. The floor is clear of toys, all of them piled into a basket next to the TV, and the kitchen table is almost comically small. Then again, Younghyun thinks, it only has to fit two people. 

Jisung drops his bag next to the couch, and then immediately throws himself onto it, giggling as he bounces on the cushions. Younghyun looks at the clock—six. He only has two and a half hours with Jisung, and that thought makes him a little sad. 

“What’s up first, little man?” he asks, taking a seat on the couch next to Jisung. “Do you want to play a game or eat dinner?” Jae had left instructions that game time could be before or after dinner, depending on what Jisung wanted. Younghyun’s hoping for before, because he’s not quite yet up to the task of feeding a toddler and then cleaning up the kitchen afterwards.

“Before!” Jisung exclaims. “Can we play Uno?”

“You like Uno?” Younghyun asks in surprise, and Jisung nods enthusiastically.

“Daddy showed me how to play!” he says excitedly, letting his whole body slide off the couch and crawling on hands and knees to retrieve the Uno cards from their shelf. 

Jisung gets a little confused with reading the numbers, but they manage to make it through three rounds of the game before Jisung starts looking towards the kitchen.

“Are you getting hungry?” Younghyun asks, and Jisung nods, hesitating a bit.

“But I wanna keep playing,” he says, lower lip jutting out in a way that Younghyun’s sure is meant to garner sympathy. 

“Tell you what,” Younghyun says, collecting the cards into a neat pile so Jisung can put them away, “since you like this game so much, I will bring my Uno cards from home to school tomorrow, and that can be a choice during free play. How does that sound?”

“Good!” Jisung exclaims, face lighting up once again. 

“Ok, how about you put these cards back for me and I will go see about dinner,” Younghyun suggests, and Jisung is quick to comply.

When he opens the fridge, Younghyun sees a bowl with a post it note on it, just like Jae said there would be.

The note, in Jae’s characteristic messy scrawl, says simply: “pans under stove. thanks again!!!!”

Even that is enough to make Younghyun smile, and as he moves to get out a pan to reheat the leftovers, Jisung comes bounding into the kitchen.

“I washed my hands!” he announces loud and proud, before scrambling into his chair to wait for food. 

“Thank you,” Younghyun replies, more of a habit now than anything else. 

“Mr. Kang, are you gonna cook dinner?” Jisung asks, squirming around in his chair as Younghyun hunts through the cabinets for bowls and spoons.

“I am not,” Younghyun answers, making sure to sound a bit regretful. “Your daddy made dinner for us so I just have to heat it up.”

“Oh,” Jisung says, clearly disappointed. “Maybe you can cook dinner another time.”

“Yes, another time,” Younghyun promises, and he hopes he’ll get the chance to keep it. 

Dinner is fried rice with egg, ham, and pineapple, which seems a little unorthodox to Younghyun but is apparently Jisung’s favorite and actually turns out to be delicious. Jisung is as much of a messy eater at home as he is at school, but Younghyun has many years of practice under his belt and cleaning up after one kid is infinitely easier than cleaning up after eighteen, so dinner goes over pretty well. By the time Younghyun cajoles Jisung into helping him clean up, it’s nearly 7:30, and even Jisung seems to be acutely aware that bedtime is approaching. When the dishes are in the sink, he bounds back to the couch.

“Mr. Kang,” he chirps, feet dangling off the cushion and swinging high above the carpeted floor. “Can we watch a show?”

Younghyun considers it for a moment. Jae had left it up to him to decide whether Jisung got TV time since it was a special treat reserved for nights Jae was away, and Jisung had been remarkably well behaved.

Just for fun, he puts on his best thinking face, stroking his chin with two fingers. 

Hmmm,” he says, drawing it out as long as he can. “What would we watch?”

“Paw Patrol?” Jisung asks. “Please Mr. Kang, it’s my favorite!”

After another dramatic pause, Younghyun gives an exaggerated nod, and he can’t help break character and grin at Jisung’s excited squeal. 

Jisung runs to get his stuffed elephant and a blanket as Younghyun fumbles with the TV, finally managing to get an episode of Paw Patrol queued up. Jisung settles in easily, tucking himself into Younghyun’s side like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Younghyun’s chest swells with affection, and he rubs small circles across Jisung’s back. As the episode progresses, it’s easy for Younghyun to see Jisung getting tired, so as soon as it’s over he reaches for the remote and turns it off. 

“Alright, little man,” he says, again borrowing Jae’s term of endearment for his son. “Time to go brush your teeth and get ready for bed.” 

“Okay,” Jisung agrees sleepily. He thrusts his blanket and stuffed animal into Younghyun’s hands before he slides off the couch and shuffles towards the bathroom. Younghyun follows with a bemused sigh, leaving the stuffie and blanket on Jisung’s bed before joining him at the sink. He sings the alphabet song four times so Jisung will brush for the full two minutes, and by the end of it he resembles a rabid animal more than he does an adorable four year old. Jisung knows the rest of his routine by heart: wash hands, rinse face, and then put on pajamas. The ones he chooses for tonight are grey with blue trains printed on them, and he is all too happy to point all of them out to Younghyun, even in his tired state. 

When Younghyun finally wrangles him into bed, Jisung clutches his stuffed elephant tight to his chest. “Mr. Kang, can you tell me a story?” he asks.

Younghyun settles himself on the edge of Jisung’s bed. “What kind of story?”

“A story about a prince and his pet elephant. And can you make his daddy the king?” Jisung replies, and Younghyun tries his best to not smile too obviously.

“That I can do,” he hums. Luckily, Younghyun’s had some practice with making up stories on the fly, and Jisung sits enraptured as Younghyun spins a tale of a boy and his elephant going on incredible adventures, exploring an enchanted forest and meeting a kind wizard who taught them about all of the magical plants. Occasionally, Jisung would interject with details he wanted to add.

“And the king met the wizard too right?” he asks, eyes wide, and Younghyun nods sagely.

“Of course,” he answers. “The prince had to bring the wizard back to the castle to meet the king.”

“Is the wizard the king’s friend?”Jisung asks.

“Of course they can be friends,” Younghyun smiles. This seems to please Jisung, who smiles back and snuggles a bit deeper into his covers. 

Younghyun draws the story to a close with the prince, his elephant, the wizard, and the king all having an amazing dinner together, and Jisung’s eyes start to slip shut.

Lowering his voice to just above a whisper, Younghyun asks, “what lullaby do you want tonight, Jisung?”

“Baby mine,” he mumbles, and Younghyun is relieved that he watched Dumbo enough as a child to know that one.

As he starts to sing soft and low, Jisung’s eyes finally flutter to closed, and soon his breathing is deep and rhythmic. Younghyun still finishes the song, hand smoothing over Jisung’s hair until there’s no more lyrics left to sing. He gets up as slowly as he can, tip-toeing to the door and making sure the light is all the way off before shutting it as softly as possible. 

Breathing a deep sigh, Younghyun heads back out to the couch to retrieve his phone and see if Jae had texted him anything in the time he was with Jisung. Just as he’s sitting down, though, the front door opens with a creak, showing Jae all dressed up in a pink button up and dark blue tie with slacks and shined dress shoes. His shoulders are drooping and his tie hangs loose around his neck, the first button of his shirt open at his throat, but he still looks as handsome as ever. Younghyun tries not to focus on it. 

“Hey,” Younghyun greets, standing back up again, and Jae seems to perk up immediately.

“Hey,” he echoes, careful to keep his voice low. “Jisung asleep?”

Younghyun nods. “Just got him down a few minutes ago.”

“Good,” Jae sighs. “Hopefully he’ll sleep in past 6:30 tomorrow.”

“Him being an early riser does not surprise me in the slightest,” Younghyun replies, and Jae gives him a gentle smile in response. 

“How was he, though? Good?” Jae asks, and Younghyun nods again.

“He was great. We played Uno, ate dinner, he helped me clean up and then we watched an episode of Paw Patrol before he had to go get ready for bed,” Younghyun reassures Jae. “Couldn’t have a had a better night.”

“That’s great,” Jae replies, dropping his briefcase by the couch and gesturing to it. “Do you mind if I sit or do you need to head out?”

“I can hang out for a bit,” Younghyun replies, adding a shrug at the last minute in the hopes it will make him look more breezy than he actually feels.

“Thanks.” Jae sounds exhausted as he drops onto the couch, toeing his shoes off and tucking his feet up under him. “Really, thank you so much for watching him, you saved my ass.”

“It was my pleasure,” Younghyun is quick to reassure him, dropping onto the couch next to Jae with a small ‘oof’. “You really have a great kid.”

“I’m lucky,” Jae hums in agreement. “He’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Younghyun nods along, because he’d like to think he at least sort of gets it. 

Jae sighs. “I guess now would be a good time for me to tell you about Jisung’s mom.”

“Only if you want to,” Younghyun says, sitting up a little straighter. “I don’t want you to feel like you owe me anything because I watched Jisung, it was really my pleasure.”

Jae shrugs easily. “It’s not a secret, and you should know in case he has issues with another kid again.”

This time, Younghyun doesn’t protest, just nods silently and waits for Jae to continue. Jae averts his eyes from Younghyun, choosing instead to look straight ahead at the TV as he clears his throat.

“Jisung’s mom and I were college sweethearts, and she was two years younger than me. She got pregnant her senior year, and decided that raising a kid wasn’t right for her. I already had a job so when Jisung was born he got her last name and I got full custody.” He looks back to Younghyun, and shrugs again. “It’s actually pretty simple.”

“Does she ever see him?” Younghyun asks, feeling surprisingly unembarrassed considering the personal nature of the question. Then again, Jae’s attitude about the whole thing leads him to believe that may be for the best.

Jae shakes his head. “He’s never met her. I think she’d be open to it if he wanted to when he’s older, but we agreed that since she has no interest in raising him it’s probably best to keep everything completely separate.”

Younghyun just nods again, unsure of what to say after that. Rubbing at his eyes, Jae pushes himself back up off the couch and pads to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes, “I’m keeping you from going home. I have some cash for you in my briefcase—“

“Absolutely not,” Younghyun denies quickly, holding up both hands to stop Jae. “I loved getting to spend time with Jisung, and I really would have just been home alone if I wasn’t here. Here was much better.” Jae raises an eyebrow at the home alone bit, but his expression softens again by the end. “You absolutely do not need to pay me.”

“I—” Jae tries to start, but he clearly recognizes the determination on Younghyun’s face because he stops short. “Fine. At least let me pay you back another way, then?”

Younghyun’s eyebrows raise. “What do you have in mind?”

“Come over another night when I’m home and I’ll make dinner. I’m sure Jisung would love to have you over again,” he offers, and that’s something Younghyun can’t refuse. 

“I’d like that,” he replies, and Jae gives him a tired smile. Shifting foot to foot anxiously, Younghyun sneaks a peek at the clock to see how late it is. “I should probably get going,” he says. As much as he doesn’t want to, he’s supposed to have next week’s lesson plan done by tonight and he hasn’t even started. 

“Thank you,” Jae says, again, and he doesn’t give Younghyun any time to brush it off. “Really. Thank you. I’ll text you about dinner?”

“Sounds good,” Younghyun nods, grabbing his messenger bag and keys. He lingers just a moment longer before turning back to say, “Have a good night, Jae.”

“You too, Mr. Kang,” Jae replies, and Younghyun shakes his head. 

“Please, call me Younghyun.”

“Okay,” Jae says, the corners of his lips turning up in what could be called a smirk. “Younghyun.” His tongue rounds out the syllables in a way that makes Younghyun shiver, and Younghyun gives one last wave before stepping out, closing the door behind him with a sharp exhale. Maybe Jae is getting to be too much for Younghyun’s heart.

+

Younghyun is free from pick up duty for the next few days after that, so his time with Jisung is limited strictly to the classroom. It’s for the best, because Younghyun doesn’t want to play favorites, but he still finds himself missing that one on one time. Jisung seems to as well, because he makes sure to seek Younghyun out during their free time between lessons. 

“Mr. Kang,” Jisung announces, walking directly up to Younghyun and looking up, though his face barely reaches above Younghyun’s knee. Younghyun crouches down, resting his elbows on his knees so he can look Jisung in the eye.

“Yes Jisung?” he says, and Jisung takes a fistful of Younghyun’s sleeve, pressing his lips together.

“Um,” he says, eyes darting around a bit before he looks back to Younghyun’s face. “Um, do you think that you could marry me?”

“You want me to marry you?” Younghyun’s been asked this before, but usually by the girls when they play princess and don’t like any of their male classmates enough to ask them to be the prince. Jisung nods wordlessly, and Younghyun puts on his best thinking face. 

“Hmmm,” he says, long and drawn out and dramatic. “I think you’ll have to ask your daddy if you’re old enough to get married first.”

Jisung pouts. “But if I tell daddy I asked you then he’ll be mad.”

“Why would he be mad?” Younghyun asks, cocking his head to the side. 

“Because  _ he  _ wants to marry you and we can’t  _ both  _ marry you!” 

Well, Younghyun thinks. That’s a new one.

“Well maybe we’ll just wait till you’re older, okay?” Younghyun asks, trying not to crack a smile. Jisung seems to accept this as a solid plan, giving Younghyun a quick hug that nearly knocks him off balance before running back to where he was building block towers with Felix. 

When Younghyun tells Wonpil about the incident later, he gets laughed out of the room. The only words Wonpil gets out around his hiccuping giggles are, “I told you so,” which Younghyun really does not find helpful.


	3. mr. blue sky

Younghyun had been preparing himself to disclose the marriage thing to Jae the next time he was on pick up duty, but before that happens he gets a text from Jae inviting him to that thank you dinner they’d agreed to. The day is set for Saturday night after Younghyun repeatedly assures Jae that he has absolutely nothing better to do than hang out with the Park-Han duo  because that’s his idea of a great night anyway, and all parties involved are left to anticipate. Jisung spreads the word amongst his friends that Mr. Kang is going to come to his house and cook dinner, and Younghyun doesn’t bother to correct him. 

Younghyun figures that there’s a lot of things for him to be nervous about regarding this dinner. When the day actually comes, though, he finds that what he’s most unsure of is how to dress. He tries on a few different things that Saturday afternoon, ranging from absolutely casual to a bit too dressy to be hanging out with a four year old. Finally, he settles on a loose fitting and soft pinstripe shirt, hoping that it looks like he at least sort of tried to dress up. In reality, though, it’s not too much different from his everyday outfits. 

All the way to their apartment, Younghyun feels weirdly stressed. He doesn’t know if it’s the formality of a dinner or just the fact that it’s an extended time alone with Jae and Jisung, but his stomach is turning over and over as he drives. He lingers in the car for just a moment before he steels himself, crossing the parking lot with long steps and bounding up the stairs until he reaches their apartment. 

When he knocks, he hears the sound of something heavy hitting the floor and then scampering footsteps, and the door is opened by a grinning Jisung, Jae very clearly startled as he steps out of the kitchen just a few moments after.

“Hey Jisung,” Younghyun grins, crouching down. What he doesn’t expect is for Jisung to fling his entire body weight at him, and Younghyun falls backwards onto his ass with Jisung’s arms wrapping around his neck in his version of a bear hug. 

“Jisung!” Jae calls, eyebrows furrowing together as he rushes to the door, long legs crossing the distance easily in a few steps. “That is not how we greet our guests.”

“Sorry.” Jisung smiles, clambering off, not looking sorry in the slightest. 

“S’okay,” Younghyun smiles back, pushing himself to his feet and brushing off the seat of his pants. 

“Get inside,” Jae grumbles good naturedly with a roll of his eyes, taking Jisung by the shoulders and directing him back into the apartment. As soon as he lets go, Jisung is off, bounding over to his toy basket to grab something.

“Mr. Kang, look at my new truck! Uncle Dowoon bought it for me!” He says proudly, showing off a bright green tonka truck like it’s his most precious possession. 

“Jisung, go wash your hands so we can eat. We’ll have time to show Mr. Kang your toys later, okay?” Younghyun enjoys this, watching the firm but gentle hand Jae has with his son. Jisung complies easily, scampering off to the bathroom and leaving Jae and Younghyun alone for a few, precious moments. 

“Thanks for having me over again,” Younghyun blurts, and Jae waves a hand.

“Thanks for agreeing. I know Jisung’s been pretty excitable this week, I wasn’t sure you’d still be up for this,” Jae replies, and Younghyun shakes his head.

“I can never have too much of Jisung,” he assures Jae, who seems to stand up a little straighter at that. 

“That’s good to hear,” he says with a warm smile. “Are you hungry yet? Dinner’s almost ready.”

“That’s my secret,” Younghyun grins. “I’m always hungry.”

“The Hulk? I had you pegged as more of an Iron Man guy,” Jae jokes, moving back into the kitchen as Younghyun follows.

“Who says I can't appreciate both?” Younghyun counters, and Jae hums appreciatively.

“Fair enough,” he says, and it’s then that Jisung comes bounding back into the kitchen.

“I washed my hands AND I went potty!” he announces proudly, and Jae reaches out a hand to ruffle his son’s hair.

“Good job buddy, thank you,” he says, and Jisung beams up at Jae like his words are the only things that matter. 

“What’s for dinner?” he asks, and Jae stoops to scoop Jisung up and balance him on his hip. When he turns, he faces Younghyun for a moment, and Younghyun finds it hard not to stare at the sliver of smooth stomach above Jae’s waistband that the action had exposed. 

Then Jae moves again, holding Jisung so that he can see what’s on the stove. 

“Seafood stew!” Jisung gasps, dragging on Jae’s clothes as Jae lets him down to stand on the floor. “My favorite!”

Jae looks to Younghyun, a bit sheepish. “Sorry, I should have asked to see what you liked.”

“No, this is perfect, I love seafood stew,” Younghyun reassures him, and Jae smiles. 

Turning to Jisung, he asks, “Hey buddy, can you help me set the table?”

Jisung leaps at the chance to be helpful, dragging a stool over from the corner so he can reach the bowls on the counter, setting out two for each place. When Younghyun asks about it, Jisung looks at him like it’s obvious.

“One for rice and one for stew, duh,” he says, and Jae stifles a laugh.

“He doesn’t like to mix them,” he explains. “You don’t have to use two if you don’t want to.”

Younghyun nods, stifling a smile so Jisung doesn’t see, and he moves around Jae at the stove so he can place spoons out for everyone.

“How is it that you’re helping set up for your own thank you dinner?” Jae pesters, sounding annoyed but with a smile on his face. Younghyun just shrugs, smiling back.

“I can’t turn it off,” he defends, and Jae rolls his eyes in amusement. 

Jae watches as Jisung pours himself a cup of juice, and then he offers Younghyun water or juice or alcohol.

“Water’s good,” Younghyun says, “for now.”

“Noted,” Jae grins. Then, it’s finally time to eat, and all three of them sit down together. Jisung is as wiggly as usual as Jae scoops him rice and stew (into his two seperate bowls, as requested). Jae tried to serve Younghyun first, but Younghyun denies until Jisung has food. His argument is “he’s still growing,” to which Jae responds with “don’t I know it.”

It surprises Younghyun, as they’re eating, just how easy it is for him to be with Jae and Jisung. There’s no awkwardness, just banter and Jisung’s excitement and a dad teasing his son. Jisung gasps in horror as his father and teacher mix their stew with their rice, and then proceeds to drop an entirely spoonful directly onto his lap and the floor. Younghyun has a napkin ready to remedy the situation, and Jae switches between thanking him and chiding Jisung for not paying attention to his food. 

Jae is good at making conversation, which is something Younghyun is thankful for. Jisung gets involved too, chattering on about his opinion of their classroom activities and what Younghyun can do to make things better (“have snack available all the time!”). Jae listens as Younghyun and Jisung describe the daily goings on of their classroom, nodding along appreciatively.

With all their talk, it takes them a while to finish dinner, and when they do it’s obvious that Jisung is starting to get tired. Still, Jae keeps him involved by enlisting him to carry dishes from the table to the sink, and then shoos him into the other room to read a book with Younghyun. Jisung runs to his room, returning with a battered copy of “Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse,” and Younghyun reads in a low voice, Jisung tucked into his side as they’re both lulled by the sound of running water as Jae does the dishes. Jae finishes quickly, coming to settle down on the couch on the other side of Jisung, who responds my placing his small hand over his father’s where it rests on the cushion. His eyes never leave the book, but Younghyun’s reading falters as he realizes how domestic the scene is. Jae notices, and he gives Younghyun a small smile over Jisung’s head. 

By the time the story is over, Jisung is yawning, and Jae easily wraps an arm around his son to pull him onto his lap. Jisung relaxes against his dad’s chest, and Jae presses a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Go ahead and brush your teeth, little man, I’ll be in in a minute,” he says, and Jisung slides off his lap and heads for the bathroom without complaint.

Turning to Younghyun, Jae says, “He’s pretty tired so I think I’m gonna go ahead and put him to bed.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Younghyun says, standing up. “I’ll go ahead and get out of your way. I’d just like to say goodbye to him first, if that’s okay.”

“Oh no,” Jae blurts, standing too. “I didn’t mean—” he cuts himself off, clearly struggling to find the words. “I mean, you can go if you want, but you’re welcome to stay. Maybe have that drink other than water?”

“Oh,” Younghyun echoes, cheeks coloring in embarrassment. “That sounds good.”

“Do you wanna come help me put him to bed?” Jae asks, jerking a thumb in the direction of Jisung’s room, and Younghyun is quick to nod. 

Jisung has teeth brushed and is in the midst of tugging on his pj shirt when Jae and Younghyun enter, and when he sees them he immediately scrambles to bed.

Wide eyed, he asks, “are  _ both _ of you gonna put me to bed?”

Jae nods. “Yeah, is that okay with you bud?”

Jisung grins, despite his tired eyes. “Yeah,” he replies, laying back and pulling his blanket up to his chin.

“What story do you want?” Jae asks, and Jisung thinks for a moment.   
“Daddy can you tell me a story and then can you and Mr. Kang sing to me?” Jisung asks, and Jae turns to Younghyun.

“Is that okay with you, Mr. Kang?” he asks, the teasing glint of mirth in his eyes, and Younghyun smiles back at the pair.

“Of course,” he answers. 

“What kind of story do you want to hear, my love?” Jae asks again, a gentle prompting to get Jisung back on track. Again, he thinks for a moment, and then the answer comes to him.

“A story about a little prince and his best friend Felix, who is a cat sometimes and a boy sometimes, and the prince has two kings that teach him stuff and they all live together,” he says, and Younghyun has to press his lips together to keep the smile off of them. Jisung certainly doesn’t know how to be anything less than transparent.

If this surprises Jae, he doesn’t show it, just clears his throat and begins his story with the classic “once upon a time.”

In it, Felix and the prince go on all kinds of adventures, sometimes with the kings and sometimes not, but they always come home for their family dinner where they eat rice and stew in two seperate bowls and drink apple juice until their tummies hurt. Younghyun nods along appreciatively as Jae goes—the man has a flair for storytelling, probably honed after all this time practicing with his son. 

Jae wraps it up with a drawn out “and they all lived happily ever after,” and Jisung smiles sleepily.

Turning to Younghyun, Jae whispers, “You still up for singing?” Younghyun nods, and Jae continues. “How familiar are you with that song from The Lion King?”

“In The Jungle?” Younghyun asks, and Jae hums in affirmation. “Familiar enough.”

“Good, he likes that one.” Turning back to Jisung, whose eyes are fluttering closed, Jae begins to hum the intro, and Younghyun racks his brain till he finds the right lyrics. When Jae starts the verse, Younghyun joins, and Jae falters as he looks at him in surprise. Jisung doesn’t notice, but Younghyun does, and he averts his gaze to Jisung quickly to hide his evident flush. 

Younghyun forgets the lyrics a few times but he picks it back up easily with some prompting from Jae, and soon enough the song is over and Jisung is slipping off into dreamland. Jae presses a kiss to Jisung’s forehead before he gets up to turn off the light, Younghyun following him out as they shut the door as quietly as he can.

“Whew,” Jae says as soon as they’re out of earshot. “You never told me you could sing, dude.”

“It never came up,” Younghyun defends, “and I didn’t know you could sing either!”

“Yeah, but I work in music, so it’s a natural assumption. You on the other hand—“ Jae starts, but Younghyun cuts him off.

“You work in music?” He asks, and Jae laughs.

“There’s so much to talk about. You want a beer before we get into it?”

“Yes please,” Younghyun says, making his way back to the couch and falling onto it with a sigh. Jae chuckles as he returns to the room with two beers, passing one to Younghyun by the neck. Younghyun immediately takes a sip, humming appreciatively.

“Thank you,” he says, and Jae nods.

“So,” Jae starts. “What do you want to know about me?”

“Everything,” Younghyun says, and Jae laughs. “No, seriously. Every time you tell me something, you just become more and more interesting. How did you never mention that you worked in music before?”

Jae shrugs. “Most people aren’t terribly interested in the technical side of stuff, which is what I do. I write some here and there, but for the most part I do the instrumentals and producing for artists.”

“That’s so cool,” Younghyun replies, not caring that it makes him sound like a kid. “I used to play the guitar when I was younger, and sometimes I try to break it out for the kids, but I always thought working in the music industry would be exciting.”

Jae bumps Younghyun’s shoulder at that. “Hey, I never knew you played guitar. Jisung never said anything.”

“Do you regularly trust your four year old as a comprehensive source of information?” Younghyun asks sarcastically, and Jae bumps his shoulder a little harder this time.

“What else did teenage Younghyun Kang get up to?” He asks, and Younghyun hums as he thinks.

“Studied a lot,” he starts, and Jae snorts.

“We would  _ not  _ have gotten along in high school,” he says, and Younghyun smiles.

“Well then I’m glad we aren’t in high school,” he replies, and Jae snorts.

“That the only reason?”

Younghyun hushes him, and then snaps his fingers as he thinks of something. “Oh! I used to want to be a professional basketball player.”

“Me too,” Jae grins. “Maybe we would have gotten along after all.”

They go like this for a while, back and forth. Despite Jae growing up here in California and Younghyun hailing from Toronto, they have more in common than either of them could have anticipated. Over the course of their conversation, Jae breaks open two more beers, and then two more, and then Younghyun has lost count and he’s laughing at something Jae said so hard that his stomach hurts. At some point, he doesn’t know when, he reveals that he used to go by Brian, and Jae responds with laughter that turns into snorting as he repeats the name like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. 

After that, they sober up out of necessity, because it’s starting to get late and Younghyun does have to go eventually, even though they both decide they’ll be calling him a cab and he can pick up his car tomorrow. 

The feeling in the room is one that Younghyun is unfamiliar with: a comfort, but one of companionship rather than the loneliness he’s used to. The clock ticks on the wall, the soft yellow of Jisung’s night light is visible through the crack under his bedroom door, and Jae breathes soft and rhythmic beside him. There’s a soft lull in the conversation, and Younghyun remembers what he was supposed to tell Jae.

“Jisung told me something funny the other day,” he starts, bracing his elbow against the arm of the couch and resting his cheek on his palm.

“Hm?” Jae answers, more of a hum than anything else, entirely unconcerned.

“He said that you wanted to marry me.” Younghyun tries to remain nonchalant, easy breezy. 

Jae turns quicker than Younghyun thought possible, cheeks flushing pink. “Why did he say that?”

Younghyun just shrugs in response, doing his best to keep his face free of a coy smile. “I thought I would ask you that,” he says after Jae just stares at him, and Jae takes his lower lip between his teeth out of stress.

“It was a throwaway comment, I was tired,” he blurts, and Younghyun’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Wait. You actually—“

“I was tired!” Jae repeats in his own defense before Younghyun can even ask the question, and Younghyun lets out a laugh. 

“What exactly did you say?” Younghyun asks, struggling to get the words out through intermittent giggles at Jae’s reaction. 

Embarrassed, Jae ducks his head down before he answers. “We’d just finished reading a story about a princess and a prince and he asked me if I ever wanted to get married. I told him I’d think about it, he asked if I’d marry someone like you, and I said yes. I didn’t think he’d remember it, or tell you about it. Sorry if it’s awkward.”

“No, not at all.” Younghyun is quick to shake his head, and Jae’s face relaxes. “I just wasn’t expecting him to say that, is all.”

Jae snorts. “That kid never does what you expect him to.”

“He takes after you,” Younghyun says, and when Jae looks back up they’re much closer than Younghyun remembers from before. Almost instinctively, he leans in, close enough to feel Jae’s sharp breath of surprise. Jae’s looking at Younghyun’s lips and they both know what the other wants but—but. They shouldn’t. Jae knows it, because he pulls back.

“It’s late,” he says quietly, and Younghyun sits back too, looking straight ahead instead of at Jae.

“I should probably call that cab,” he says, and Jae hums in agreement. 

Younghyun calls, and Jae waits, and they both think about what just happened. It could be worse—it could always be worse. But Younghyun is Jisung’s teacher and Jae is Jisung’s father and there’s something there that just doesn’t sit right. Younghyun worries about it until he leaves, Jae bidding him a quiet goodbye with a hand on Younghyun’s elbow and the promise of seeing him again soon, and then Younghyun worries about it some more on the ride home, and then when he gets home he worries about it some more as he lies awake in bed. But no matter how much he worries, the answer never comes.

+

Younghyun stops taking extra pick up duty shifts after that, and he dreads the next time it’s actually his turn. Jae had texted to apologize the morning after and Younghyun assured him that everything was fine, but there’s a lingering awkwardness hanging in the air that Younghyun hates. Jisung knows nothing of it, but now Younghyun is hyper aware of Jisung seeking him out during the school day. Younghyun can’t shake the feeling of eyes on him, waiting for him to give Jisung preferential treatment because of his relationship with the Park-Han family. 

Before he knows it, though, the year is winding to a close. It feels like just a few weeks ago he was helping Jisung find his spot, and now he has to prepare to send all of his students off. It’s always bittersweet, and Wonpil usually cries, but at least here there’s a glimmer of hope. Maybe, if he can cut through the awkwardness with Jae, they can try again when he’s no longer Jisung’s teacher. 

They have a party, every year at the end of the year. It’s the event the whole school looks forward to: the kids make the invitations and decorations, plan the food, and invite their friends and families to celebrate the end of another school year. Younghyun usually has a great time, bouncing from family to family to talk about future plans and what a joy it was to have their child as a student, but this year he’s more worried than anything else. His responsibilities seem more numerous than usual, and the idea of being in a room with Jae and Jisung for that long, even with everyone else around—Younghyun knows Jisung, and he knows that if there’s any awkwardness between him and Jae, Jisung will have plenty of time to notice it. Above all, Younghyun’s just worried he won’t be able to put his own feelings aside and act normal for the sake of his students. 

Wonpil picks up on all this, because he’s annoyingly in tune with the emotions of people around him, and does offer to take a good deal of the work off Younghyun’s plate. While that leaves Younghyun with a little guilt, it does make him happy to see Wonpil smiling, bustling around to help the kids make invitations (usually Younghyun’s job) and leading the class meeting where the kids give their input on what snacks to have (also usually Younghyun’s job). 

Despite being relieved of that duty, Younghyun still watches Jisung like a hawk when it comes time for the kids to make invitations. He knows most kids will be addressing cards to “Mommy”, and he could really do without another incident like they had earlier in the year. When he hears Jisung raise his voice even slightly to talk to another student, Younghyun practically flies over, ready to mitigate any conflict that might occur. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“It’s nice you only have to make one card,” Felix sighs. “I have to make one for Mommy and Daddy and all my sisters. But Jisung only has to make one. That’s nice.”

Jisung hums. “Yeah, it’s easy because I only have my Daddy. But I can help you make the cards for your family if you want, Felix. Then it’ll be faster.”

“Really?” Felix asks, face brightening instantly.

“Yeah!” Jisung replies, and Younghyun is left to watch as the two start to share materials so they can finish all the cards as quickly as possible. While Younghyun is sure they have some alterior motive of trying to have extra time to play with blocks, it’s still heartwarming for him to see Jisung helping a friend, and being proud of his dad.

Perhaps it’s because Younghyun’s got less to do that the party seems to sneak up on him, much like the end of the year had, and before he knows it it’s the night before and he’s wandering the halls posting signs to direct all their guests to the classroom. 

He’s not sure why, but Younghyun dresses up for the next day— puts on a nice button up with black jeans that make his legs look longer than they really are, and even goes so far as to dab on some concealer under his eyes. He sort of gives up on his hair, leaving it to fall fluffy and unstyled across his forehead, but Younghyun supposes that’s sort of a style in it’s own right anyway. Wonpil notices when Younghyun gets to school, giving him a once over with a hum of approval.

“You look good,” he says, fighting to keep a smirk off his face. “I wonder who for?”

“Myself,” Younghyun responds, grabbing his coffee before taking it to the classroom to drink. Wonpil laughs despite being left behind in the kitchen, so Younghyun doesn’t feel too bad. 

The parents aren’t coming till the afternoon, but Younghyun feels jittery all day. When they finally do start to flow in around two p.m., he finds himself attempting to stay busy while still looking up everytime he hears the familiar creek of the door on its hinges. Everytime he looks, it isn’t Jae, and there comes a point where Younghyun is wondering if he’ll even show at all. Maybe he should have reached out, he thinks—Jisung hadn’t said anything about his dad not being able to come, but wasn’t it Younghyun not too long ago who was chiding Jae for using a four year old as a reliable source of information?

Just as he’s letting his mind run wild with possible explanations, the door creaks again, and in steps Jae in all his long limbed, messy haired glory. He’s wearing a button up too, oversized and half open over a grey cotton tee shirt, but tucked in in the front to show off the slim lines of his narrow hips. His gold frame glasses sit low on his nose, and Younghyun is utterly struck by how much he missed the sight of the man’s face these past weeks. 

Jisung finds his dad immediately, rushing to cling onto Jae’s leg as he chatters excitedly about all the fun things they have at the party. Jae smiles down at him, nodding along, but when Jisung takes his hand to tug him around the room Younghyun see’s Jae’s eyes wander, searching—and then they find him. 

Younghyun gives an awkward wave, and Jae smiles back, a simple gesture that somehow seems to say “it’s okay.” That alone is enough to comfort Younghyun, enough to get him to stop bustling around in the hopes of a distraction. He relaxes, concentrates on talking to parents and spending quality time with his students while he still can. He makes his rounds through the room, and eventually, he finds Jae.

Jisung is playing with Felix at the puppet basket, and Jae is perched on the steps under the windows. Earlier Younghyun spotted him talking to Felix’s mom, but the conversation seems to have petered out because Jae is just smile contentedly at the boys as they play.

“Hey,” Younghyun says, settling down with a sigh on the steps next to Jae. 

“Hey,” Jae echoes, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he turns to face Younghyun.

“I’m glad you could make it,” Younghyun says earnestly, and Jae smiles.

“I had to pull some strings at work, but I wasn’t going to miss this,” Jae replies. Then, he adds, “I certainly didn’t want to miss seeing you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Younghyun asks, careful to keep it good natured as he does a quick scan for listening ears. Luckily, anyone within earshot seems to be preoccupied with a cellphone or a child, and the conversation proceeds. 

“Well, things didn’t leave off great the last time we were actually together,” Jae explains, “And, I actually had something to ask you, though I’m not sure if this is the best time.”

“You can’t say that and then not ask me, Jaehyung Park, that is illegal,” Younghyun teases, and Jae ducks his head in slight embarrassment. 

“I was just thinking,” he starts, and Younghyun can feel the anticipation rising in his chest. “Pretty soon, you’re not going to be Jisung’s teacher anymore. And that means there’d be no conflict of interest if I was to ask you to have dinner with me sometime.”

Younghyun nods, doing his best to keep his cool despite having essentially been asked out on a date by this amazing man while in his own classroom. “That’s true, there certainly would be no conflict of interest.”

“So what do you think?” Jae asks, and Younghyun at least pretends to consider it for a moment before he answers.

“I think that could be nice,” Younghyun finally replies, and Jae playfully bumps his shoulder. 

“Asshole,” he says under his breath, and Younghyun gives a small  _ tsk tsk _ . 

“Honey, not in front of the kids,” he teases, and for a moment he wonders if he’s gone too far— then Jae is grinning widely, bumping their knees together this time. 

“Go out with me,” he says, and Younghyun bumps him back.

“I thought I already said yes,” he replies, and Jae smiles, lazily this time.

“Yeah,” he drawls, “I just wanted to hear it again.”

Jisung chooses this as the moment to launch his body at his father’s legs, first colliding with them before scrambling up onto Jae’s lap.

“What are you guys talking about?” he asks, and Jae and Younghyun lock eyes, struggling to keep themselves from laughter. 

“We were talking about how I’m going to visit you and your dad again sometime,” Younghyun says when it becomes clear that Jae isn’t capable of getting anything coherent out. 

“We can play UNO again!” Jisung exclaims, tugging on Younghyun’s sleeve, and Younghyun can’t hold down his laughter. 

“Yeah we can buddy,” he says, and Jisung rests his head against Younghyun’s arm, letting his dad’s arm around his waist support his weight.    
“Mr. Kang?” Jisung asks, turning his head in such a way that his face never loses contact with Younghyun’s sleeve.

“Yeah?”

“Are you gonna marry my dad?”

“Jisung—” Jae starts, but Younghyun reaches out to put a hand on Jae’s knee.

“Not right now,” Younghyun says. “I think for right now, we’re gonna start with more dinners. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds good,” Jisung chirps, settling back down with a contented smile.

Looking out at all the kids and families milling around the room, Younghyun feels the same familiar sadness he does at the end of every year; kids grow up, and they and their families move on to bigger and better things. But here, with Jae at his side and Jisung on his arm, Younghyun hopes he’ll be with this family for a long, long time to come. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/bribeombot)


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